Gifts and Curses
by iLOVEcheese
Summary: The gang tells us about their ideal gifts and their most feared curses. Through the eyes of the fighters we see just what it's like to live in a life where anything can be given and anything can be taken away.
1. InuYasha

**A/N:** Hey readers! I know, I should really be updating 'Pain of Publicity' rather than writing something completely different, but this idea is just screaming to be written. Anyhow, it's not necessarily a different fic anyway. It's more like a collection of chapters based on the same meaning. Confused? Well, let's just say this won't be longer than 5 or 6 chapters. Yep.

This may be a bit of a spoiler to certain episodes in the series and the second movie. Not too much though, so I don't think I ruined all too much for you. Nothing that you wouldn't of guessed happening anyways.

And yeah, I guess this is based on the song by Yellowcard. Yeah. This is what I get from listening to the Spider-man 2 Soundtrack waaaaaaaay tooo muuccchhh...

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_Gifts and Curses_

Chapter 1 - **InuYasha**

Half-demon.

When I was younger that label meant nothing to me. I knew I was different from the others, but my mother always told me that being different was a good thing. It was a gift to be different.

A gift.

Kagome brings gifts to us every now and then. Everyone enjoys the treats she gives out from her time. That's what a gift is after all. Something that brings joy and happiness. It's a thing given with sincerity and received with no regrets whatsoever.

I grew up hating being half-demon. As the years passed, the villagers became more violent. The children would throw anything they could get their hands on at me. Rocks. Sticks. Toys. The adults did nothing as they would watch me being taunted before their very own eyes. Some even contributed to the torture. Unlike the children, they would find a way to harm me without mere objects. They kicked me. Punched me. Some even spat on me after beating me down. No matter how far I tried to run, they always found a way to catch up.

I remember my mother trying to console me as she would bandage my wounds.

"_It's okay, Inuyasha. You're with me now. You have nothing to fear." _she would say.

I would nod my head in agreement and fall into small slumbers while laying in her arms. It seemed that napping was my only period of safety. Though my mother said everything would be fine, my problems were far from solved.

A year later my mother passed away. That was when I realized that I had sunk deeper into hell. She was the only one to protect me. The only one that was on my side. The only one that cared for me. My mother was my gift.

The villagers continued to taunt me with their hatred towards half-demons. I grew a loathe for humans after that. The only human that would stay in my blessings was my mother.

One night I ran away. I was older and quicker by the time I made my move. They couldn't catch me.

_Finally, _I thought. _Finally I've escaped from the hell that was considered as my fate._

But again my thoughts were mistaken. I did not run away from hell. I ran deeper into it. As if that were possible. I grew up in a hell made by humans. What I ran into was a hell made by demons.

Each pack I tried to enter tortured me worse and worse. If I had thought that humans were the most vicious enemy, I was far wrong. I tried to escape being called a 'Half-demon', but like the humans, demons would label me just the same.

The demons in my pathway grew stronger. Their attacks more effective. The word 'Half-demon' pounded in my brain harder and harder.

Hell got to me physically and mentally. I felt dead and hatred was the only source that kept me alive. I hated humans. I hated demons. There was nothing for me.

Then I had met _her_. A priestess entered my life. Of course my loathing to humans kept her back, but somehow she continued to move forward. She was so determined to find something within me that it got me curious. Why? What could she possibly see in a half-demon?

A year had passed and I still spoke to the priestess named Kikyo. An emotion began to overflow me that was completely unexpected. My hatred began to fade and I found myself infatuated with her.

I found myself falling in love.

Days began to pass and there is one that I will always remember. The day she told me about the Shikon no Tama.

Kikyo knew of my distress about being half-demon. She knew of my pain. She knew of my sorrow. Kikyo knew everything about me as did I know everything about her.

She told me that the jewel would be useful as to making me a full human. I guess you could call me inconsistent or hypocritical because, though I hated humans, I was willing to become one. Becoming fully human meant that Kikyo and I could be together. At that point, Kikyo was all that I needed and my pride was nothing compared to my love.

And so Kikyo and I devised a plan. I would take the jewel so that I could become a human. The plan was set. It was perfect. I would wait at our usual meeting place, the magic would happen, and we would be off on a journey towards who-knows-what. The main point was that our happy ending was together. We'd be together.

I finally had received another gift. It came in the form of something I thought I'd never feel. My second gift was love.

Our plans and hopes came to an unfaithful end as I found myself being pinned up to a tree by the powerful priestess.

Parallel to the word 'Half-demon', my own name flows through my brain painfully. I can still hear Kikyo screaming the word '_InuYasha_' with hatred and betrayal. Thus, the next 50 years of my life were spent pinned up against a tree. I was left hanging by my lonesome. Hanging by one single arrow. Kikyo's arrow.

I have no idea what happened during those 50 years. The only sight I had seen was the inside of my eyelids. Darkness had found me and overcame. I was alone once more. Abandoned by my own gift.

I had wondered what happened. The scene played over and over in my mind. I held the jewel in my hand. Kikyo's scream is heard behind me. Her arrow pierces me. I fall into a 50 year slumber.

Could I have been so naive as to trust a human?

Though I could feel nothing while pinned up against the tree, I felt my heart ache. My heart ached from the life that I had been living. I found myself being disappointed for the arrow just missing my heart. I wanted life to end for me.

Life was my curse. My survival was a curse.

Finally, my vision returned as my eyes began to open. I remember having to blink twice at the first person I saw.

Kikyo?

At first I felt relieved and my heart began to pound. But within a quick minute, my relief was flushed away and overpowered with hate. I began to yell and curse at the Kikyo in front of me. Why had she returned? Was she not the one that had pinned me to this tree? And yet, she was waking me?

But I found out that my assumptions were wrong. Terribly wrong. It was not Kikyo that had found me. It was a different girl. A human girl.

She looked so much like Kikyo that it was not surprising to be mistaken for the priestess. The same flowing raven black hair. The same facial structure.

It wasn't until later that I found out that the girl was not an ordinary human. She was what they called a reincarnation.

A reincarnation of Kikyo.

Does that mean that she had died? Well, of course. The last time I saw her she was nearly covered in her own blood.

But I had always believed that Kikyo was indestructible – even if she was a human.

The reincarnation's name was Kagome. She was a fairly peculiar girl. Not to mention a pain in the ass. I held a grudge against her for the longest time.

She looked like Kikyo. Came out of no where. Owned a certain power over me that forced me to fall to the ground whenever she pleased. And above all...

...She broke the Shikon no Tama and I was forced to bring her along in search for the shards.

Ah yes, Hell was finding me all over again. Except this time, I made a promise to myself: I was no longer a weakling. No demon could bring me down. No human could hurt me.

When I first met Kagome, I thought of her as a pathetic human. Could I have feared species such as _these_? A species that was afraid of spiders and tiny insects that could be demolished in a quick second. A species that depended on others in order for their safety. It made me sick to my stomach that these were the type of people that taunted me.

As the months passed and our shard collection grew, I began to find out more about Kagome. Though she looked like Kikyo, she was anything but the same.

Kagome was different. And now that I come to think of it, I can remember someone saying that being different was a good thing. A gift.

Kagome was her own gift and I admired that.

I felt more determined during our hunt. Before we had left, I was filled with information regarding the incident 50 years ago. A man named Naraku was the center of my distress. Somehow, he had played Kikyo and I in a game of betrayal. After that, I made another promise: I was going to hunt down and kill that bastard.

Consider him the curse of the century.

As the years passed, I had met other people in search for shards. First we had met a little kitsune named Shippou. An annoying little fox demon if you ask me. Kagome keeps insisting his company. Probably because she considers him as _oh-so-adorable_. Adorable my ass!

Then we had met a monk named Miroku. Feh. A sad excuse for a monk if you ask me. A lecher is what he is. Constantly groping every woman we pass by. The first time we met him he had his hands on Kagome.

I was pissed.

But over time, Miroku learned his boundaries. Kagome was in the off-limit zone. He dared not touch her in front of me.

Then the third person we had met was a demon exterminator named Sango. She's a fearless fighter that surprised even me with her abilities. How could a mortal complete such tasks?

I found myself accepting all of our companions – Humans and demon. Despite my annoyance and loathe towards their kin, I accepted them into our group. Under the influence of Kagome, that is. If I hadn't, she would've tortured me with that damn 'S' word.

I noticed that she had changed me. A change that I wasn't holding back on. A change for the better. But at the time, I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't let someone else change me. The last time I had allowed that to happen, I was pinned to a damn tree.

However, I couldn't help but learn to trust all of them: Kagome, Miroku, Shippou, and Sango. They all contributed greatly as to retrieving the shards. And I managed to realize that without Kagome's influence.

Kagome began to get better each time she picked up a bow and arrow. Her aim is still a bit off, but with a bit more practice she could probably hit a decent shot.

Miroku's wind tunnel works best when Naraku's poisonous insects aren't around. Sometimes he refuses to release the wind tunnel due to minor wounds and risk of sucking everything up. Where does everything go from there anyway? Something I've always wondered...

Shippou. Now, what can I say about the annoying kitsune? As much as I hate to admit it, I've got to say that Shippou has got strong morals. He works his hardest when extremely determined. His spirit is strong and he doesn't just give up.

Great. I'm starting to sound like Kagome.

And then there's Sango. The demon exterminator with ferocity as fiery as her cat demon Kirara. She's got major strength proven whenever she handles that giant Hiraikotsu. And whenever I catch Miroku groping her ass, her slap marks stay on his face stays on for at least a day.

We're all a team. As corny and pathetic as that sounds, it's true. I don't dare tell Kagome that though. She'd get all sentimental on me and I am _not_ looking forward to that.

A team. A family. A gift.

We all work together to find the shards and defeat Naraku. One day, we will find that bastard and I don't give a shit on how hard it'll take to beat him. I'll do it. We'll do it.

Finally things seemed to come to a compromise for me. I had goals, hopes, and friends. Now all I had left to do was settle unfinished business.

However, a day came when I thought that my business was already done. A day when one of my curses was finally cured.

A day when my demonic blood overpowered my human side. I was equivalent to a full demon.

I can still remember the battle field. The stench of the blood. The rage in the air. The fear in everyone's eyes.

The fear in Kagome's eyes.

It all happened so quick that I didn't even have time to think about what I was doing. It all started when I was separated from my Tetsuaiga.

I felt my eyes go blood-shot red. My veins began to exceed their normal positions. My claws grew larger and sharper as did my teeth. I was transforming into an even bigger monster. And I enjoyed it. Every minute of it.

Within an instant I destroyed the demon that I had been fighting beforehand. But that wasn't where I wanted to end. I wanted to kill more. I needed to kill more.

There was only one thing on my mind that I thought about. Only one thing that was important to me. My priorities were altered and I craved for extremities.

I wanted death to occur.

I could sense the fear felt in my comrades. Above all, Kagome was the most frightened. But I couldn't do anything about it. It was just enough trying to hold myself back from killing them.

I needed to get away.

Just then I found a pair of arms wrapped around me. They were trembling with fear, but strong with determination. Though the grasp was weak, I continued to stay in position. The arms were strong in spirit, and the spirit is something that cannot be broken.

They were Kagome's arms.

"_Come back, InuYasha. You don't have to be like this. Fight it. I know you can._" I remember hearing her plead. "_Come back, InuYasha. Please come back. Don't you want to be with us? With me?_"

With her?

I tried releasing myself from her grasp. My chest pounded hard against her face as I tried to break free. I couldn't.

"_Kagome! You could be killed!_" I heard Sango exclaim in the background. She was right. Kagome was risking her like doing this. Kagome, you wench! I could have killed you at the time!

I felt Kagome's head shake on my chest. Her arms remained around me – grasping tighter. I brought my clawed hands to her arms as I tried to make her let go. I tried to refrain from cutting deep into her skin, but that did not stop me from creating a few cuts and scrapes.

Though, she did not cry. She did not yell. She did not scream. She merely pleaded.

But she was not pleading for me to spare her life. She was pleading for my return. She was pleading for _me_.

I sensed Sango unsheathing her katana, but I still did not care. I was actually hoping she's stab Kagome free from my distance.

'_Kill her. Kill her_' My mind repeated hoarsely as Kagome held on tighter. '_She's only a human. Don't you remember what humans did to us?_'

My mind was right. I did remember what the humans did to me when I was younger. That made me ever angrier. My grip on Kagome's arms tightened.

She was a human. My opportunity for revenge was right there. I could've killed her. I could've ripped her arms right out of her body. I could've escaped her grasp and cut her into pieces.

But I didn't.

Instead I fought the voice in my head and tried to soften my grip on her arms. I heard Kagome whimper as I felt the warm blood in between my fingers. I was cutting her.

But I wanted to fight it. I wanted to defeat the voice inside of my head. It told me to kill Kagome. It ordered me and I was willing to.

I fought harder and harder as my body began to shake. I felt as if I was caught in the middle of a giant earthquake. I began to growl uncontrollably.

Suddenly, I felt Kagome's hands gently placed on my face. I looked down at her and saw her eyes glisten with tears. She looked at me sadly, but still with hope. I saw tears roll down her face. They rolled down her small smile. They fell onto my shirt.

That was when I knew I had to put an end to this. I had to take control.

"_It's okay, InuYasha. You're with me now. You have nothing to fear._" Kagome whispered in a shaky voice. The sentence ran through my head over and over again. They sounded so familiar. They sounded so sincere. They sounded so trusting.

They sounded like my mother's.

I felt my knees go weak and my breath regained. I would've fallen flat on my face if not for Kagome. My veins returned to their normal areas. My fangs and claws became dull once more. I looked up to see Sango and Miroku's relieved faces.

I took a glace at Kagome. There were even more tear-stains on her cheeks. But her eyes were not a sad as before. I had returned into a half-demon and she was happy.

So I was happy.

"_Thank you InuYasha._" I heard her whisper.

Before I could say anything in return, I felt my eyes grow heavy and the last thing that felt was the dirt slamming onto my face.

When I woke up it was already the next morning. Somehow they managed to bring me back to Kaede's village. There was a warm fire in front of me and I could already feel the silence of the room.

As I sat up, I looked at my arms and saw that someone had already bandaged me. They were already starting to heal because when I sat up, I felt no pain whatsoever.

I thought that no one was inside of the room with me, until a head popped out from behind the curtain. Kagome's face shyly entered. I said nothing.

"Awake?" she asked softly. I smirked. Kagome always asked questions with obvious answers.

"My eyes are open, wench." I muttered. I was injured, there's no way in hell Kagome would 'Sit' me.

She nodded her head slowly as she tip-toed into the room and sat next to me.

"How are your injuries?" she asked.

"They're healing." I answered. "That's what the bandages are for anyhow." Really, she asked the dumbest questions.

"I thought you'd never wake up." Kagome said silently. I raised an eyebrow.

"Well I'm awake so there's no reason to cry now." I said nonchalantly. Where was this conversation going?

"I'm serious, Inuyasha." Kagome said sternly, saying my name with complete boldness. "You had me really worried. When you transfor–"

"I know what happened." I cut her in. I was there. She didn't _need_ to remind me about yesterday.

"You weren't yourself. You weren't the Inuyasha that you are now." At this point, I sensed that she was nervous. She fiddled with a loose string on her skirt.

"Listen, there ain't no alter-me or whatever you think." I began to say seriously. I didn't want to talk about what happened yesterday. It wasn't any of her business as to what I felt, so why make it? I wanted to settle this subject. "That was me back there and that's all."

"You're wrong." I felt Kagome's eyes look at me. I resisted glaring back. Her statement irritated me even more.

"What makes you think that you know who I am?" I hissed. Who did she think she was? Telling me I'm wrong. Feh!

"I just do." was all she said. I rolled my eyes and began to grit my teeth. This was getting nerving.

"Look, believe it or not, that was me back there. Ain't nobody else here going by the name 'Inuyasha'!" I exclaimed. "What I turned into yesterday is who I am!"

"What you turned into yesterday was _not you_!" Kagome yelled as she stood up. I looked at her with surprise.

Was she crying?

"I know you, Inuyasha." she said sadly, holding back her sobs. "You're kind and caring and, though a bit of a moron, you're a good person. What you were yesterday was not you." her voice calmed down.

I stared at her for a long time. This was her second time crying over the same subject. For the first time in over 50 years I saw someone cry...

...For me.

"_This._" Kagome continued as she grabbed my hand and held it in hers. She placed her other hand over mine. "This is who you truly are."

For a moment I wanted to agree with her. I wanted to nod and hold her in a deep embrace. She assured me that things were okay. That I was finally found from a crime of eternal nothingness.

But then my senses came back to me. How could she know who I am? _I_ didn't even know who I was.

"You mean a _half-demon_?" I spat the word with much distaste. I took back my hand from hers and placed it on the floor of the room. "That's all I am. I'm not human. Not a demon. I'm just _half_."

She was silent for the longest time. I felt her eyes stare at me while I looked down at my feet. What the hell was she thinking?

"Even so," she finally began. My ears twitched at the sudden sound. Her voice was calm and soft. "You still have the abilities no human could accomplish. And the emotions no demon could perceive. Half-demon or not, I still think you're wonderful, Inuyasha."

As I looked up to face her, I saw the curtain sway as she exited the room. I felt the corners of my lips rise at her comment.

I was _wonderful_ to her.

Perhaps the feeling is mutual, I don't know.

But what I do know, is that after that day I made up my mind: I would protect these people with my life.

I found it essential. After all, I had already almost killed them. But the biggest impact on me was the memory of Kagome's reaction to my transformation. She was so scared and frightened, that it was almost unbearable.

And yet, she continued to fight for my return. It reminded me of how determined Kikyo was when I first met her. It reminded me of the times my mother told me it would be okay after going through a beating from the villagers.

Kagome is _my_ gift.

I'm going to protect my gift with everything. Nobody will take her away. I've already been deprived of two of the gifts given to me in my life. _Nothing_ will take this one away.

Not even myself. I almost ruined the only gift I have left. I almost destroyed Kagome. Well think again, because I refuse to let that happen. I'll protect my gifts from my curses. I swear it.

Kagome is _my_ gift.

And _I_ am my curse.


	2. Kikyo

**A/N:** I know this is hypocritical because in 'Pain of Publicity' I made Kikyo a bad person, but I like her. I mean, later on in the series she gets more respectable. It's an empathetic thing, I suppose. Oh well. Call me crazy, if you want.

I like Kikyo. Hopefully, some of you will too after reading this. Then again, maybe not. Oh well. Here it goes!

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_Gifts and Curses_

Chapter 2 - **Kikyo**

Most people are frightened of death. They fear the loss of chances to accomplish tasks on Earth. They fear being left only as a memory at the most. They fear leaving behind all of their hard work.

But the only thing to really fear is what becomes of you after death.

What exactly happens after our lungs have no need for oxygen? What will become after our hearts discontinue to beat? Our brains stop their function?

What has become of me?

Long ago, I was but a simple priestess in a small village. I had an endearing younger sister named Kaede that I kept close to me. Curing and solving countless sicknesses and diseases were simple tasks that could've been done in my sleep. The villagers all trusted me with their lives and I was even given the gift as to protecting the Shikon no Tama. I was happy with who I was.

Then I had met _him_.

A half-demon named InuYasha had crossed my path. He was rude, arrogant, and anything but a common villager. There was such hatred in his eyes, but even more in his heart. I pitied the cold stranger that stood before me.

His soul was broken by the time I had found him.

"Why have we left that half-demon by himself, Kikyo?" I remember Kaede asking me sheepishly. I was collecting herbs for future needs as she picked flowers along the fields.

"His soul is but a broken one. We cannot help him." I replied knowingly as I placed delicate herbs into a basket.

"A broken soul?" Kaede repeated. I nodded in agreement. "But you've cured many broken bones, Kikyo. How could a soul be any different?"

"A soul takes days, months, or perhaps years to heal. It cannot be mended by mere herbs."

"You can do it, Kikyo. I know you can." Kaede continued to insist. She lightly tugged at my white sleeve.

I could only smile at the young girl below me. Her naivete and innocence compelled me to listen to her words. I looked over to where we had left the half-demon. He continued to watch us as he sat on the strong branch of a tree.

Such eyes, I remember thinking. Such golden amber eyes he had. Even from a far distance, I could see their shining color pleading for sanity.

They were pleading for help.

It wasn't until the next day I had made my move to talk to the half-demon. Kaede kept herself in the village as she sorted out our collection of herbs. When I had reached the valley of grass, I wasn't surprised to find the half-demon still sitting on the same branch.

"You, there. Half-demon." I called out to him. He merely glared at me with his penetrating eyes. "Why do you continue to seclude yourself?"

"How did you know I was a half-demon?" he replied, his voice was bitter and disdainful. "You are only a human."

"My name is Kikyo and I am a priestess at the nearby village. Will you come down?" I continued to ask. He smirked and looked away. "Why do you scorn me so?"

"Listen, _Kikyo_," he spat my name with disgust. "I don't care if you're a priestess or whatever. You could even be a demon and I still wouldn't care. I ain't coming down there."

"Am I to believe that you are somehow stuck on that branch?" I slightly laughed. "Perhaps you are only staying up there because you cannot get down."

"Are you making fun of me, wench?" he said rudely. "A lousy branch isn't keeping me up here."

"Then what is?"

He glared at me once again, obviously irritated. I continued to stare back at him. Then I had realized that this was somewhat of a game we played. He would stare and I, in turn, would stare back. Whoever was to look away first gave the other their moment of victory. This was a war I was not willing to lose.

I continued to glare up into his golden amber eyes. Never before had I seen so much emotion compressed. Pain. Anger. Loneliness. Depression. They were all flowing deep within his eyes.

The half-demon then looked away from me.

I heard the swift sound of his clothes against the wind as he hopped off of his branch. The dirt collided with his feet in a gentle manner. I faced him with much more interest.

His hair was a snow white that reached down to his legs. He had claws on his feet and toes that were edged with blood. The ears on top of his head were the only sign of sensitivity.

"Glad you have chosen to come down." I said simply. "Now, what is your name, half-demon?"

"Look, just because I came down here doesn't mean we're going to get friendly." he replied roughly. "And _don't_ call me a half-demon." he warned.

"But that is what you are, is it not?" I became curious with his temper.

"What do you think, wench?" he muttered.

At this point, it seemed that he continued to repel me. With one final glance, I turned my back to him and walked away.

I felt his eyes on me with each footstep I took, but I did not turn around. That would only encourage him. So, I continued my path.

However, my plans were canceled as the presence of an attacking demon came into view. I felt the tension of a snake demon nearby.

"Hey!" I heard the half-demon call out to me. Turning around, I watched as the snake demon came pouncing towards me with murderous eyes. Its confidence amused me.

Raising my bow as a shield, the demon was demolished by a thin pink light. I looked down at it's remains and silently said a simple prayer.

The half-demon looked at me with his mouth agape. I merely glared, proving that I was more than a mere human. Turning my back, I continued my journey to the village.

Many days had passed. My encounters with the half-demon became more frequent. As each day passed, we spent more and more hours conversing. I remember having him participate in a herbal gathering one day.

His name was Inuyasha and I had been correct by determining his broken soul. However, as he explained to me his past, I had no idea what sort of troubles he had gotten into.

Such terrible memories for a child so young.

"Were you with Inuyasha again?" I remember Kaede asking one night after I had returned from the valley.

"Yes, I was." I replied while placing down a basket full of herbs we already had a plentiful amount of.

"You've been seeing him awfully a lot." Kaede said sheepishly. I felt the curves of my lips turn into a small smile. "And you've smiled a lot more since then."

"Are you intending to say that he is the cause?"

Kaede looked away from me and her eyes shifted. I merely gave her a small smile before getting up.

"Perhaps you are correct, Kaede. I am beginning to feel things I have never felt when I am with InuYasha." I said silently. "I hope you do not look down on me for that."

"Of course not, Kikyo!" Kaede's face instantly looked up towards me. Her eyes were wide with apologies. "I would never."

"Then I apologize for leaving tonight." I said while grabbing my bow and arrows. "I will be back at dawn."

"Is it InuYasha?" I heard her say, just barely audible. I closed my eyes and a grin appeared on my lips once again. With a nod of my head, I exited the hut.

It was true at the point. I felt much more for the half-demon than I had expected. I developed a trust towards him that was as precious to me as the bond I shared with Kaede.

I had healed his soul by replacing it with my own.

A few years later we were both deprived of our souls. The moment still plays back in my mind. The meeting. The blood. The fire. The screaming. All of it.

I awaited InuYasha at our usual meeting place, where we would together go to transform ourselves fully human by the power of the Shikon no Tama. However, I was taken as a fool as he sneaked up from behind me and attacked. I fell down automatically and looked up at Inuyasha.

He looked down at me and gave me such a vile smirk. We exchanged curses and within a few minutes he dashed off – leaving me down and restless.

I felt my heart ache with such betrayal that it determined me to move. I felt my warm blood from underneath my clothes, but I continued to move. I stretched my arm out just far enough to reach my bow.

InuYasha was going to pay.

Getting up slowly, I swore to myself that I would find him. Never had I felt such rage before. My hands clutched the tip of my bow tightly as I tried walking. My legs began to limp from my conditions.

How could he? How could he betray me so? We agreed to live a life happily together as humans, and yet he destroys it all? _How could he?_

I felt my heart weakening with each step I took. My breathing pattern began to slow down. I was going through a slow death.

And I was going to bring InuYasha with me.

When I returned to the village, I gasped to find it completely in flames. I heard the screams of the villagers and instantly tried quickening my pace.

Several of the villagers I had once known so well were lying on the floor dead. Others were running with fears for their lives.

"Kikyo!" I heard Kaede exclaim as she and a few villagers came running towards me. My knees weakened as I fell down. Kaede stood next to me as she tried lifting me up. "Kikyo, you're bleeding!"

My blood had escaped from my veins quickly compared to back at the valley. I felt my head becoming dizzy at the loss.

"Kaede..." I tried to speak. Suddenly, the rooftop of one of the buildings crashed down. My eyes widened as I looked up.

There he was. InuYasha flew in the air with the Shikon no Tama in his grasp.

My eyes narrowed and I held up my bow once again. Kaede tried helping me up, but I shrugged off her aid. Taking slow and steady steps, I began to walk in InuYasha's direction.

I grabbed an arrow and placed it in position with my bow. Aiming it in the exact area where I estimated InuYasha would be, I waited.

Within a few minutes, my target was set and I watched as he ran forward.

"InuYasha!" I exclaimed with all of the power that I had left and sent the arrow flying.

He looked at me with surprised eyes. I watched as the jewel escaped his clutches and as he was pinned upon the tree.

"K-Kikyo..." I heard him say in shock. I lowered my bow as I glared at him with such ferocity.

Then my body broke down.

I heard Kaede rush over towards me. She rested my head onto her lap and I could hear her heavy sobs.

"Kikyo!" she cried, but I could do nothing. My duty was done and I had died with such hate in my heart.

I did not regret what I had done. I had been betrayed by someone that I had truly loved. Someone that I allowed myself to sacrifice my priestess powers for. Someone like him.

I did not regret pinning him with my arrow. He had taken away everything that had belonged to me. He stole my soul. He stole my life. He stole my pride.

But the most painful of all was the fact that he had stolen my heart.

And what a fool I was! I was left vulnerable by such an emotion. It only lead to betrayal and betrayal always leads to revenge.

I had left the world knowing that my revenge for InuYasha had been placed. Although it was not enough, I had no second chances. And so I left the world with no regrets.

Until one fateful night when my soul was somehow resurrected. I found out that I had been reincarnated by a strange girl that had served as a companion for InuYasha.

InuYasha. I met him once again – even after death.

He seemed surprised to see me, but all I felt was bitter hate. I wanted him to die. I wanted him to suffer. I wanted him to feel the pain that I had felt long ago.

But his eyes continued to look at me with such sympathy and compassion that it was unbearable. I hated it.

And that reincarnation he was with. I can recall that her name is Kagome. What a strange and peculiar girl she is. She resembles me without a doubt, but she is too naive and young to understand the true powers I hold – we hold.

"Can't you see that InuYasha is still in love with you!" she exclaimed to me one night. Her voice penetrated my mind as my soul collectors pinned her against a tree.

That was the night I had made my move on revenge against InuYasha. I was damned for cheating the after life and so I wanted to bring him with me as well.

InuYasha deserved hell.

Slowly, I entranced InuYasha into a forest where it seemed only he and I stood. Unknowing, the girl Kagome had been standing there, invisible and unseen.

We stood in a familiar embrace and for a moment, I thought back to old memories. But memories were for the weak. I was given a second chance to prove all that I could do. To take back from InuYasha what he had stolen from _me_.

"I'll protect you, Kikyo. I swear it." Inuyasha whispered in my ear as his arms wrapped tighter around me.

Such sincerity in his words. It was amusing to think that this was the man that had caused me this death, and yet he was promising me his protection?

I was only minutes away from having InuYasha step into hell with me, but the girl somehow broke the barrier and InuYasha had found out my plan. He stepped away from me and turned to look at Kagome.

It was then that I knew her place.

This Kagome girl that spent so much time with InuYasha had changed him. As months passed, and more encounters occurred, I couldn't help but notice InuYasha's severe changes.

There was a softness in his eyes that had not been there before. His golden amber eyes, once hard and broken, were now soft and determined. Could this have been the work of the strange girl?

I found my hatred for InuYasha growing every minute.

However, my journey through life would be a short one. Though I had a goal to end his life, I also had to worry about my own.

I was only a mixture of clay and dirt with a soul to match. Even yet, the souls carried within me were not my own. They were merely stranded souls of young maidens, collected for my living.

I had been awoken from a slumber that was destined to be my last and I was not happy. Happiness was not an emotion I had died with. All that I felt was pain, depression, loneliness and anger.

The symptoms of a broken soul.

However, I continued to walk on this journey alone. It took time for me to realize that my attempts for the murder of InuYasha were mindless. I became obsessed with the thought and had let it take over me.

He had fallen in love with the strange girl. In the beginning, I grew a loathe for her in thoughts of her being me in another life.

However, I came to the conclusion that I despised her for living a life that I could have. It was not hate that made me harm her.

It was envy. I envied Kagome with all of my clay-crafted heart.


End file.
